Too much of everything

Sick Product of a Sick System

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

I got this on DVD at Walmart. It came with "The Order", which is a strange but fun change of pace for Van Damme and "The Shepherd" which is not too bad for what it was. This triple feature came at me for 5 bucks, so naturally I had to get it. My main reason for getting it was Nowhere to Run. I hadn't seen this movie since the 90's and after that it fell into obscurity, considering JCVD released better quality in films. The movie takes place in a shanty town that apparently wanted to try too hard to look rural. It's not a bad setting but it made the movie somehow look dull. (That plus the lack of a good score, which was basically absent through most of the film's better scenes) After movies like "Lionheart" and "Bloodsport" where Van Damme looked incredible as the good hearted hero, in this one, he tries to be and look rugged for his convict persona. Included the stubble he rarely grew in movies back then and the laid back but heavy foreign accent. It definitely seemed like he was into his part but he drops subtle signs of weakness in his acting, like for example, when he intentionally mispronounces the word 'Motorcycle' and his delivery of obligatory 90s action movie one liners. Only good thing about his performance, is he didn't pull any fancy moves. He kept it brawling and I liked that. I'm a JCVD fan for life, but this movie is one of the reasons why I get when some people dislike him. Moving on to the supporting cast, Rosanna Arquette and Kieran Culkin did great as mother and son who take kind to a random drifter. The chemistry between the 2 of them wasn't any better at mom and son than it was for JCVD and Rosanna (whom according to interviews, disliked working with Van Damme) Ted Levine is always fun to watch and actually menacing in his role. In fact, I can't really remember a role where Ted Levine was rubbish, because even in "Flubber' he delivered some great scenes that combined his tough guy act and his comedic timing. The movie is simple enough, with some good decent fight sequences thrown in between. The story could've used some more development, like for example: some retrospective scenes where it showed Van Damme's failed bank robbery or his aforementioned marriage, so it would have made Van Damme's character a bit more sympathetic because you just end up feeling sorry for the poor family caught in between his story and the film's plot. Im pretty sure, this was a movie that was still polishing his acting skills and expanding his resumé as a leading action star but there were definitely better ones. Not bad at all. Fun little movie to watch when you want to snack on something at 2am and be amused while you're at it. But if you really wanna get into his movies, I wouldn't suggest this as your first one.

This is another Jean-Claude Van Damme action flick, but a definite notch above many of his other films, at least in production values. The photography and stereo sound are excellent.Actually, this is pretty simple stuff and old storyline of a low-key good guy rescuing the girl from local meanies. Here, Van Damme defends Rosanna Arquette and her small kids.In another respect, the movie is just another avenue for the two stars to show off their incredible bodies. Neither has ever been shy about doing that and certainly aren't in this movie. My only objection is having one of the kids make a sexual remark, which is done in here. There is no excuse for that.Ted Levine, who has turned nice guy in the hit TV series "Monk," is an effective bad guy in here. He played a lot of villains before "Monk" came around.Anyway, it's fairly low-brow entertainment, but at least it is entertaining and fun to watch.

Jean Claude Van Damme is well known for his physical prowess, doing the splits while knocking the crap out of countless thugs, but in Nowhere to Run the Belgian martial arts star tries stretching his acting muscles as well, playing mysterious loner Sam, a man with a troubled past who helps out widowed mother Clydie (Rosanna Arquette) when ruthless property developers set their sights on her land.Despite an admirable attempt at acting from the 'muscles from Brussels', I have to consider Nowhere To Run a disappointment, lacking the excitement I expect from the star, the action scenes playing second fiddle to the rather dreary drama. Towards the end of the film, things liven up a bit with a decent chase scene and a brutal final battle, but getting there is a real chore: I don't know about you, but I go to see a Van Damme movie to watch him kick ass for an hour or two, not shift bales of hay for a lonely widow and play father to her obnoxious kids (one of whom is played by Kieran Culkin, brother of über-brat Macaulay).If you do decide to stay the distance, be prepared for some gratuitous Van Damme naked ass shots (although to be fair, both sexes are catered for with Arquette revealing her mighty fine bod during a shower scene and a sex scene), Culkin launching a cringe-worthy 'Home Alone' attack on one of the bad guys (whacking him over the head and luring him into the stable to be kicked by a helpful horse), and a quite frankly bizarre moment when Clydie discusses the size of Sam's penis with her young daughter.

I've never seen this film in its full entirety, until now. But no way is this just brainless action fodder. Jean Claude-Van Damme takes on somewhat a different approach with this dramatically agreeable vehicle, tending to be mellower where violence is seen as a backup method. Still when it comes to shove, it doesn't disappoint neither does a stoically brooding Van Damme. The basic premise is almost a familiar classic outline, think of such westerns as "Shane" or "Pale Rider" but modernized. A prison escapee with a past comes to the aid of a widower and her children who are harassed by pitiless property developers wanting her land. Most of the time is spent with Van Damme developing a relationship with the family, as redemption also becomes a big part of his motivation. Quite slow-going and meditatively talky with some complicated matters, as it doesn't go full-ball until the last heroic 15 minutes with some miraculous stunt-work and intense action. However you feel compelled nonetheless, just like Van Damme's character is to seeing this innocent family get through the ordeal. For most part Van Damme is stealing salt, camping out reading nude magazines, playing family man, giving lawyer advice, being a fireman, finding time to be a mechanic, getting into biting confrontations with a hard-boiled Ted Levine and sharing lovelorn glances with a headstrong Rosanne Arquette. Everything here is straight-forward, but it's ably directed by Robert Harmon ("Hitcher 1986") with some particularly well photographed valley locations, a grand score and skilfully implemented activity. The script is generic, but all of its moodiness is there to build-upon its rough tactics and implosive exchanges. Not a bad film."I don't want to sell it."